home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
-
-
-
- RegNode
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-
-
- REGISTER NODE v1.10
- (C) COPYRIGHT 1993, The SDN Project, Ray L. Kaliss
- ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
-
-
- (I didn't know how bad the first version was!)
-
-
-
- WARRANTIES
- ~~~~~~~~~~
- No warranties of any kind. Just because I could get it to work doesn't
- mean I wrote it well enough so you could get it to work. Use RegNode
- entirely at your own risk. I accept no liability whatsoever.
-
-
-
- LICENSE
- ~~~~~~~
- SDN International(sm) and IFDC (International File Distribution
- Cooperative) networks are free to use this software for amateur purposes.
- These members are free to copy it and share it as long as they do so
- intact, without change to the software and it's documents.
-
-
-
- PURPOSE
- ~~~~~~~
- RegNode is intended to be an easy way of compiling a listing of
- participating nodes in SDN International(sm) and similar file
- distribution networks. It's use is not restricted to SDN systems, it may
- be used freely by an file distribution network member of the
- International File Distribution Cooperative. Other file distribution
- networks interested may contact me regarding possible use.
-
- There are two major problems with keeping a member node participation
- list. First, the manual effort. heck.. we GOT computers! The second is
- nodes that drop out but don't notify the list makers to delete their
- entry. Nodes in the list but long since gone, are a confusion to users
- and are problems in topology for network managers.
-
- What about the nodelist 'U' flags? Normal users don't read the nodelist
- and some entries are incorrect. File distribution network managers have
- no control over nodelist user flags, the nodelist is not their domain.
- The nodelist can represent some BBS' as being part of a particular file
- distribution network when in fact, they are not, and visa-versa. Sysops
- are mostly on the ball to put in user flags, but perhaps not as diligent
- at removing them. Nodelist flags may not represent the real members of a
- service.
-
- Set up correctly and run in a daily batch file with the AUTOCOMPILE
- option set, RegNode will merrily do it's thing and clean up after itself
- too.
-
- Traditionally an end site would connect to a manager for files and echo..
- managers used these connections to keep track. RegNode being based on
- automatic file attaches.. allows managers to keep track of systems that
- are under their management but link elsewhere. The registration need not
- be sent to the file feed system if the feed system is not the manager, it
- can be sent instead to the manager.
-
-
-
- THE THEORY
- ~~~~~~~~~~~
- With RegNode, managers can approve members, keep track of routing, and
- compile official participants using automatic file attache events. Once
- set up, according to a tier of file attach scheduling days, everything is
- accomplished automatically without further fuss. By using a text file as
- a registration, with the name of the file itself being used as a
- password, the manager has some control over who is approved to be
- included into the official listing. The list itself is kept accurate by
- being built new each month, nodes are not carried over monthly.
-
- End nodes create a simple formatted text file of information on
- themselves, their registration, that gets file attached up to their
- manager during the first week of the month. EndNode is a utility similar
- to RegNode that may work for the end node's needs.
-
- When registrations arrives at the managers system, registration
- information is copied to a temporary storage file and the received
- registration file is deleted from the inbound. Every time RegNode is run
- it looks for newly arrived registrations.
-
- A managers total listing of all registrations received is compiled by a
- set date according to his management level, and the managers own
- registration information gets appended to the output file. A listing of
- registrations that were not received for the month is written to a
- report. By referring to the report and the last total listing the
- manager can determine who the missing node feeds and take steps to
- reconnect orphaned nodes.
-
- Once compiled, the output listing is ready to be file attached up to the
- next manager.. who processes that list in the same way, which is sent on
- up for a regional listing.. which is sent on up for a national listing..
- which is sent on up for an international compile of the entire listing,
- which is then sent to Mars for a galactic.. (oops.. too far)
-
-
-
- SETUP
- ~~~~
- RegNode must be run from the directory in which it resides. If no other
- configuration file is named via command line parameter it looks for a
- default REGNODE.CFG file. The configuration file is pure ASCII text and
- can be edited. Comment lines begin with a semicolon and are ignored.
- Keywords in the configuration file must be left justified and in caps.
-
-
-
- INBOUND d:\net\files\
-
- The drive and path where RegNode is to look for registration
- update files sent in for processing. End this path in a
- backslash.
-
-
-
- OUTPATH d:\hold\
-
- The drive and directory where you want your compiled listing
- placed. where your file will look for it. Don't forget the
- trailing backslash.
-
-
-
- OUTFILE myreg.reg
-
- The name of the file to write the compiled listing to, even if
- it is only your own registration. This has to be a legitimate
- DOS file name. It is a password you and your manager agree
- upon so it should be unique.
-
- If you use RegNode for more than one network and therefore use
- two or more configuration files, be sure that the OUTFILE name
- for each configuration is not the same.
-
-
-
- AUTOCOMPILE 2
-
- This option can be used or commented out. This tells RegNode
- to compile an outfile only one day a month, on the seventh day
- of the month in our example. Automatic date compile is active
- when this option is used. If commented out, then RegNode must
- be forced to compile with the '-c'parameter. Setting the day
- as 2 allows an end node time to get his registration to the
- next level before the 7th day when it must be in.
-
-
-
- BINKLEYMODE 1:123/123 C
-
- If this verb is uncommented RegNode will create a Binkley/OPUS
- style file attach for the outfile. Give the full
- zone:net/node address and "C" if you want Crash mail flavor or
- "H" if you want it put on Hold. When the outfile is delivered
- by your mailer it is deleted, so if you want to keep a copy
- use the ERRORLEVEL exit to batch copy the outfile to another
- directory to keep. This option is not compatible with
- FrontDoor or d'Bridge type systems.
-
-
- ERRORLEVEL 4
-
- If this option is uncommented and a level is given (4 in our
- example) then after a compile, RegNode exits with this
- errorlevel. This can be used by FrontDoor and d'Bridge
- systems to call a file attaching utility to send the outfile
- with.
-
-
-
- @SDN
- The '@' symbol is the start of three lines of registration
- information. '@SDN' tells us you are registering for SDN file
- network and tells RegNode to copy the next three lines with it
- as one registration. If a fourth line of feed nodes is found,
- it will copy that too, but no more than four lines.
-
-
-
-
-
-
- Other utilities can also do the file attaching, such as Squish. By using
- the ERRORLEVEL option you could use SQUISH to send the outfile, like
- this...
-
-
- 'Squish SEND c:\hold\12963.sdf 1:141/846'
-
-
- Keep in mind that RegNode completely re-writes (if it already existed)
- the outfile during Compile, so if you want to keep a copy use the
- ERRORLEVEL to make a save copy to another path.
-
- As a safety, RegNode will not compile twice on the same day if it finds
- that the named outfile exists on the outpath and that files date is
- today's date. This prevents the accidental loss of the entire listing if
- say for some reason your nightly event batch file loops through more than
- one time (a common BBS blight :) Of course if you start your nightly
- maintenance before 12 midnight and it loops over and over past midnight,
- your system date changes and you will now get an over-write. Or if you
- run it in a maintenance event twice on one day and the outfile is
- actually sent in between time (being deleted) it will get written anew.
-
-
- Example configuration for REGNODE.CFG
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
- INBOUND: d:\net\file
- OUTFILE: ish9272.290
- OUTPATH: d:\net\hold
- AUTOCOMPILE 2
- BINKLEYMODE 1:123:123 H
- ERRORLEVEL 5
- @SDN
- 1:102/234 Bob Royer, TIMES BBS, Nittville Nevada, 102-234-23456
- 9600 baud v32 and HST. OPUS system. No subscription. 360megs of files.
- 1:102/345 1:102/895 1:203/345 1:203/396
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- You can check to see if you have formatted your configuration file
- correctly by running RegNode -t (test mode).
-
-
-
- FDN REGISTRATION
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Many nodes might receive the distributed file areas, but you only want
- the nodes who adhere to policy and are approved to appear in an official
- listing. The registration RegNode uses is a short ASCII text file
- containing only four or five lines. Although you may put up to 100
- characters to a line, each line except the routing line should be kept no
- longer than 80 characters in order to be easily read on screen. Keep all
- lines left justified. The routing line can be up to 100 characters long,
- some systems may need all of this and more. Lines longer than 100
- characters will mess up how your entry looks in the listings.
-
-
- Example End Node Registration
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
- @SDN
- 1:141/865 Andre Normandin, The Ultimate BBS, Meriden CT USA 203-345-5666
- No subscription. SDS/SDN/UTL/GSD HSTDS 9600 v32bis, special utilities.
- 1:141/840 1:109/119 1:141/820 1:141/375 1:219/22
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
- Lines after the @ flag.
-
- The FIRST line is your full 3D node address then your name, your BBS
- name, your city, state or providence, your countries initials and your
- BBS phone number. Try to fit it all in screen width of 80 characters.
-
- The Second line is free form. If you could not fit everything from the
- first line on the first line, carry over to this line, then you might
- like to mention your baud, file and echo interests.. whatever you want
- other to know about your system.
-
- The THIRD line is your routing line. The first node number is the node
- that feeds _you_ .. the rest are nodes you feed directly. Use full 3D
- node addresses for all (zone:net/node). If every node you feed can not
- fit into 80 characters you may use another line, a fourth line, for a
- total of two routing lines.
-
-
- Example Managers Registration
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
- @SDN Eastern Star Manager USA
- 1:132/119 Gordon Green, Cuckoo's Nest BBS, Hudson, NH, USA 603-880-1158
- SDN Eastern Star Manager. Regional Echo Coordinator. SDS Coordinator.
- 1:141/840 1:141/80 1:323:14 1:324/235 1:465/3453 1:234/3456 1:104/345
- 1:879/3456 8:400/345 1:102/1 1:102/45
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Gordon is registering for the SDN list, he is SDN Eastern Star Manager,
- note he enters his managers position on the top line. Only managers
- should use the top line for anything else besides the @SDN flag. Notice
- Gordon feeds quite a few of nodes and has to use the limit of two routing
- lines.
-
-
- LISTING ACCEPTED NODES
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Create an ASCII text file named REGNODE.LST or edit the sample one and
- put it into the same directory as RegNode. This text file will contain
- the unique file names you and the node you will accept registrations from
- have agreed upon. It should also contain a bit of personal information
- on each node. RegNode will _only_ look for and process the file names
- that appear in this listing. As a manager of the file distribution
- network you can approve nodes you feel have complied with network policy,
- while barring others from being added to the official listing.
-
- Here are some example lines for REGNODE.LST
-
- --------------------------------------------------------------------
- 1qazwsx.reg Jim Dither, The Blast BBS System, Silver City 102/222
- 297yet.reg Tom Thumb, The Layer, Arlington, 102/234
- MANAGERS
- bingo12.222 Bill Downing, SDN Net Manager in Jefferson, 405/3456
- --------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- File names must be left justified, followed by a space and then I suggest
- listing the sysop's name and node address. Keep it all to one text line
- about 80 characters total. Nodes listed before the MANAGERS verb will be
- processed for only one registration, nodes listed after the MANAGERS verb
- are assumed to be sending a registration with multiple registrations
- inside. If you are only receiving single registrations then comment
- MANAGERS out and only one registration listing will be taken from all
- incoming files even if they have more inside.
-
-
-
- ENDNODE REGISTRATIONS
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- End node do not need RegNode.. they have no nodes sending them
- registrations, but to be in the compiled listing they have to send you
- their registration monthly. They agree with you on a unique file name,
- then edit in their information as shown above, and file attach it to you
- during the first week of the month. This can be done by them by file
- attaching a copy of thier registration with a file attach utility or by
- using EndNode on a monthly event basis.
-
-
-
- OPERATIONS
- ~~~~~~~~~~
- Regnode will always operate in Append mode (scan for incoming
- registrations and append them to a temporary file). The only time it
- does not append is in Test mode (-t) when you can check your
- configuration file with it. When Compileing it first looks for processes
- any new incoming registrations before it compiles.
-
- You can pass RegNode two command line parameters.
-
- [-t]
-
- regnode -t
-
- TEST can be used to be certain you have formated your
- configuration file correctly. I suggest you run this test
- mode first to see if all is right and the configuration file
- is parsed correctly. Nothing is done in this mode except
- parse the config file and show you the results.
-
-
- [-c]
-
- regnode -c
-
- COMPILE forces a compile despite the AUTOCOMPILE setting.
- When used, RegNode will look for any other incoming
- registrations, process and delete them, process your own
- registration, and write a report of missing registrations in
- REGNODE.RPT. Your outfile is now ready for file attaching
- upstream.
-
-
- If you want RegNode to use a different configuration file you can specify
- it's name on command line. Any parameter without a leading '-' is
- considered the name of a configuration file for RegNode to use instead of
- it's own default. DO NOT enter an extension.
-
-
- regnode winnet
-
- This tells RegNode to use the WINNET.CFG file and names all
- files associated with keeping track of registrations as
- WINNET.(xxx)
-
-
- regnode -t sds
-
- Calling RegNode as above, it will test it's reading of
- 'sds.cfg' as a configuration file.
-
- regnode -c dvnnet
-
- Calling RegNode this way forces it to compile using
- 'dvnnet.cfg' as a configuration file and names all associated
- tracking files DVNNET.(xxx)
-
- regnode lannet -c
-
- This, does not fly because the switch is not the first
- parameter. I don't know what will happen if you do this.
- Don't do this.
-
-
-
-
- COMPILATION DATES
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Naturally, to get the RegNode concept to work, different level managers
- must compile on different dates. All end nodes should file attach their
- registrations by the 7th of each month. All Net level managers should
- compile and attach on the 8th day of each month, all Regional level
- managers should compile and attach on the 16th, all Star systems compile
- on the 24th and the new total listing should be compiled on the 1st of
- each month and published.
-
-
- ┌────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────┐
- │ Manager Level │ Date of Month for Compile and Attach │
- ├────────────────────┼───────────────────────────────────────┤
- │ (End Nodes) │ Compile and send before or on 2nd │
- │ Net Managers │ Compile and send before or on 8th │
- │ Regional Managers │ Compile and send before or on 16th │
- │ Star Managers │ Compile and send beofre or on 24th │
- │ Published │ Compile/publish on 1st of new month │
- └────────────────────┴───────────────────────────────────────┘
-
-
-
- REGNODE.REG
- ~~~~~~~~~~~
- In order for RegNode not to step on itself and allow time for your
- compiled file attach to be sent, the actual outfile listing of
- registrations is not written until RegNode compiles. Between compiles
- incoming registrations already processed are stored in REGNODE.REG in the
- default directory. Upon compile, if the outfile does not yet exist, it
- is created, if it does exist it is assumed to be last months copy and is
- re-written with this months registrations. REGNODE.REG is deleted and
- the whole process is ready for to start a new cycle.
-
-
-
- LIMITATION
- ~~~~~~~~~~
- RegNode will inform the manager if any nodes listed in his own
- REGNODE.LST are missing. With the case of a lower manager sending you a
- listing that consists of a few nodes, RegNode has no way of telling if
- any nodes are missing from his list, only if his list is missing.
-
-
-
- MULTI-REGISTRATION
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- RegNode can be used to create multiple listings, how this is dealt with
- at the top depends on the software used at the top for the final sort and
- processing. Consult with your manager if you feel you need more than one
- listingfor your site.
-
-
-
- REGNODE FILE NAMES
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- RegNode can be used to append and compile registration for different file
- distribution networks. If you do not pass RegNode a new configuration
- file name to use, it uses all it's working file names as REGNODE.(xxx) by
- default.
-
- If you pass RegNode a command line parameter other that -t or -c it takes
- it for granted you have passed it another configuration file to use for
- all of it's work. In this way one manager can make Regnode do double
- duty for two or more file networks. If you do use two configuration
- files be sure not to use the same OUTFILE name for both.
-
-
- Default Names: REGNODE.CFG (configuration information)
- *REGNODE.TMP (temporary registration info storage)
- REGNODE.RPT (report missing nodes after compilation)
- REGNODE.LST (listing of accepted registration files)
- *REGNODE.REG (a listing of nodes appended to date)
- REGNODE.EXE (the compiler)
-
- * Designates files which are used, then deleted on compile.
-
-
- If you call Regnode like this:
-
- regnode sdsnet
-
- The New Names: SDSNET.CFG (configuration information)
- *SDSNET.TMP (temporary registration info storage)
- SDSNET.RPT (report after compilation)
- SDSNET.LST (listing of accepted registration files)
- *SDSNET.REG (a listing of nodes appended to date)
- REGNODE.EXE (the compiler)
-
-
-
- ERRORLEVEL & BATCH
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- RegNode is designed to be run once a day by batch or command line. When
- using the AUTOCOMPILE day option, you should not run it after every mail
- event or more than once a day. It should be place in your once a night
- maintenance event and your daily maintenance event should be run just
- after midnight.
-
- When RegNode ends, it will end by passing DOS one of four errorlevels.
-
- (1) If something goes wrong (could not find configuration)
- (2) If everything ran OK
- (3) If RegNode created a report of missing nodes
-
- (?) If ERRORLEVEL is used then this level is given whenever a
- compile is done.
-
- An example of batch file to run RegNode in for a daily event follows. It
- is assumed you have set your compile date in the configuration. If run
- on any day except the compile day.. either all runs OK (exit 2) or
- RegNode had problems (exit 1) and nothing was done. In this batch file,
- on the compile date, if a report is written it is copied to a \HOLD
- directory where the sysop will read it later. ERRORLEVEL is used and set
- to 4.
-
- ECHO OFF
- REGNODE.EXE
-
- IF ERRORLEVEL 4 GOTO COMPILED
- IF ERRORLEVEL 3 GOTO REPORT
- IF ERRORLEVEL 2 GOTO END
-
- ECHO RegNode had a system configuration error!!!
- PAUSE
- GOTO END
-
- :COMPILED
- COPY D:\HOLD\MYREGS.REG D:\STORAGE
- GOTO REPORT
-
- :REPORT
- COPY *.RPT D:\STORAGE
- DEL *.RPT
- GOTO END
-
- :END
-
-
-
-
- LAST WORDS
- ~~~~~~~~~~
- RegNode is for the use of IFDC sysops only. Other file distribution
- networks that may wish to use RegNode or some modification of it are
- welcome to drop me netmail. Future revisions are contemplated.
-
- My thanks to Tom Hendricks, SDS Coordinator, who assisted with developing
- the idea of RegNode.
-
- My thanks to Gordon Green, SDN Easter Star for testing some of it's
- operations.
-
- Thanks to all sysops who use it and make life easier for us managers.
-
-
- Comments of a constructive nature are welcome.
-
-
- *ray kaliss
- SDN Project Manager
- 1:141/840@fidonet
-
- /eof
-